Blog Post

Remarkably since 2005, the city of Glasgow has actually witnessed the creation and progress of a burgeoning space programme, with 95% per cent of sales being ordered outside of the UK, the industry is booming.

To put it simply, Glasgow has officially joined the space race.

Glasgow has a space programme

Yes, believe it or not, Glasgow has a burgeoning space programme. Clyde Space. The award winning company, launched Britain’s first satellite in July of this year. Thanks to the success of the launch, Clyde Space has been commissioned for £2 million pounds more worth of satellite production. The company currently in its fifth year has moved from its original premises in Maryhill to their new 10,000 sq. ft premises in Glasgow’s Skypark (very apt).

With a workforce consisting of 40 employees and collectively more than 50 space programmes between them, the company are far from being a Wile E Coyote Acme, rocket manufacturer. Clyde Space are involved in the complete construction of mini satellites, from conceptual design, development, integration, right down to analysing the data once the satellite is orbiting and in operation.

In the five years Clyde Space have been operating they have expanded production levels by, on average 40% per cent each year. In total the company holds a 30-40% per cent market share of the total Cube Sat market.

The total market value is expected to skyrocket (ahem) with the expansion of the European Space Agency (ESA). Since last year the market has doubled and next year the market is expected to nearly treble.

Clyde Space is firmly at the forefront of the European satellite expansion.

The Glasgow based company are currently developing the most technologically advanced Cube Sat ever built for the Belgian Institute Space Aeronomy’s, Picasso project. Once completed it will be sent into space attached to a European launched rocket, to scientifically evaluate the planetary atmospheres of earth, outer space and other planets in the solar system.

No longer will Glasgow be told to look upward to the stars, with Clyde Space, Glasgow might even be able to reach for them.

There you have it Glasgow, #10-#2 of Glasgow’s magnificent facts but what do you think should be be #1. What has yet to make an appearance on the list?

Leave your suggestions below and stay tuned to http://glasgowliving.today because #1 is primed and ready for blast off.